Exclusive Senior Houthi official says Bab el Mandab closure an option if any Gulf states join war Houthi Deputy Information Minister Mohammed Mansour also said the strait could be closed “should the aggression against Iran and Lebanon escalate.” By Elizabeth Hagedorn In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights
Analysis Israel urges US escalation against Iran, possible ground invasion Israel has made clear it will not deploy ground forces to Iran, but would strongly support US military action if the Trump administration chooses to proceed. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Dermer’s return puts Netanyahu’s 'brain' at center of US-Israel calculus Dermer, former Israeli strategic affairs minister, is considered one of Netanyahu’s closest associates, having worked together for over two decades. Israel
Settler violence spike exposes Israeli government rift with military Knesset member Ram Ben-Barak of centrist Yesh Atid told Al-Monitor that the government must permit the use of administrative detention for extremist settlers to curb the violence. Israel
Exclusive Israel suspects Trump betting on 3 Iran officials, including Ghalibaf, to end war By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Analysis Meet Bagher Zolghadr, a hard-line IRGC veteran now Iran's security chief By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Turkish-US talks on northern Syria stall as S-400 crisis peaks US envoy for Syria Jim Jeffrey tells the German Marshall Fund that a residual force of US troops will be staying in northeastern Syria for an "indeterminate time"; this decision appears to have been made in part to protect the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units from Turkey. Syria
Intel: Why Washington still hasn’t sanctioned Turkey over Russian missile purchase President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will receive the first shipment of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia next week. Turkey
US envoy to Israel demolishes American Bahrain conference achievements The participation of American Ambassador David Friedman in the tunnel-opening ceremony in Jerusalem undermines all his country's efforts at the Bahrain economic workshop. Palestine
House panel advances bipartisan Saudi sanctions bill over Khashoggi murder The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously advances a bill that would sanction Saudis involved in the Jamal Khashoggi slaying. Saudi Arabia
2020 Democrats bash Trump for Iran crisis While one Democratic presidential candidate calls Trump's Iran policy reckless and another says the only reason there is a crisis is because of Trump, there are questions as to whether the issue will resonate with voters if no war takes place. United States
Palestinians expect little from Bahrain summit Many analysts are skeptical about the economic plan for the West Bank and Gaza that the US administration has prepared for this week's workshop in Bahrain. Bahrain
Arabs deeply divided on Egypt attending US peace meeting Some observers think Egypt's decision to take part in the Bahrain economic workshop could deal a blow to the Palestinian cause. Bahrain
Egypt to launch another round of Palestinian negotiations Egypt is willing take another shot at unifying Palestinian factions, but no one seems to be getting their hopes up about the outcome. Palestine
US blames Iran for Gulf tanker attack Secretary of State Mike Pompeo points finger at Iran in Thursday's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Legacy: Gulf
Congress opens several new fronts in bid to block Gulf arms sales The House joined Senate efforts to stop the Donald Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia
US policy faces blind spots on China, Middle East The effects of US trade policy toward China may strike a blow on global markets and possibly affect US national security. Saudi Arabia
Why interim government supports Hifter in Libya In an interview with Al-Monitor, the foreign minister of the interim Libyan government, Abdul Hadi al-Hweij, discusses what he sees as the international community’s perplexing stances toward Libyan groupings in addition to speaking about the battle for Tripoli and other developments in the Libyan arena. Libya
